Elfling Harry?
by auraleek
Summary: In the aftermath of the wizarding war the Valar make an executive decision to rescue Harry and give him the life they feel he has always deserved. Unfortunately they should have consulted with the wizard in question because nothing goes as planned for anyone.
1. Chapter 1

**Part One - The Early Years**

**Chapter 01 - Stolen**

..

The war was finally over. Harry had defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort and very soon would widely hailed as a hero and the savior of the wizarding world twice over. He didn't think he was much of one, he still felt like just Harry... only exhausted and more than a little hungry.

He sat down across from Voldemort's cooling body and thought about eating one of Mrs. Weasleys home made dinners, about sleeping in his four poster at Hogwarts and about how this was sure to be recommendation enough to get him into the Auror training academy. Life wasn't perfect but things were finally looking up. He leaned back into a small crater the late Voldy had blasted into existence earlier and relaxed... because for the first time since he discovered magic he could relax, there was no one out to get him.

In fact, he thought, at this moment he felt better than he had ever felt before... suspiciously better. His heart began to race and his anxiety mounted as he realized he couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't move at all... had it all been an illusion? Had this been Voldemorts trick from the beginning?

'Calm yourself dear child... for I have come bearing a great gift, to give you hope and a future, not to bring you harm'

The voice had seemed to come from everywhere about him, it had a melodious and inhuman quality that he couldn't quite place... but reminded him somewhat of Fleur. That wasn't right at all though... he was trapped in Voldemort's spell.. he needed to get out. Forcing himself to ignore the foreign sense of calm that enveloped him he struggled to move his body, to get away.

'You're not trapped at all Istari child. I have taken you from the pain and suffering of your old life and will send you to a place of healing. The elves are a gentle and peaceful folk, they will give you the childhood you have always deserved...'

Harry tried to take a calming breath, but his chest wouldn't expand, Harry in fact wasn't breathing at all. It was at this very moment that he came to a critical realization... whoever this was, this magical kidnapper, she had killed him or was about to do so... you needed oxygen to live!

Now wizarding children are prone to accidental magic, particularly in extreme situations, Harry had over the years developed quite the threshold for madness and life and death situations, but this was a bit too much. With the knowledge that his death was imminent, Harry panicked and his magic was unleashed.

"Erestor is simply the most gentle elf. Misfortune has come upon him though, his lady love and their child will pass on while she labors to give birth... I would gift him with a child though, and I would gift you with such a... wait.. what are you doing?!

At her panic Harry felt a moment of triumph. The invisible bonds seemed to loosen against the pressure his magic was placing on them and the very moment they gave way he threw himself as far off as he could.

'NO!' The voice cried. 'That's the wrong way Harry, you're not meant to go that way!'

Harry's final thought before falling into the abyss and sinking into the strangely warm waters of the afterlife were thoughts of success.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 02 - Reborn**

**..**

Harry would never quite be able to describe the months that he spent in waterworld. He could tell you with absolute certainty that he wasn't alone. He often took a foot to the face or found himself pushed up against another body. He didn't remember trying to speak, or even considering that he could and his eyes still wouldn't open so he hadn't a clue what it had looked like. It was peaceful though... but not enough to justify losing his life.

He'd had plans; he was going to marry Ginny, he would be an auror, they would have kids with horrible names and when he was ready to retire he would teach at Hogwarts. It had all been pretty attainable... reasonable really, the sort of reward one could justifiably expect for a life like his had been. It festered within him, a deep seated loathing for the criminal who had stolen him.. another Dark Lord was all she was and Harry would take care of her at the first available opportunity.

Change didn't come for a long time and when it did it wasn't what Harry had expected. The walls of their water prison began to close in around them, systematically contracting and relaxing and the water that had kept them afloat and off each other drained out. With the draining of the water though came sounds, voices that he had been muffled noises before were now clear as day screaming and calling words in a language he didn't understand. When his companion was wedged out of their prison Harry realized what was happening.. this was rebirth.

He'd wanted to protest this travesty, after all he had a family and a life and he didn't want to start again, but this body was too small and weak to do any such thing. So he followed his twin out into the world in several moments of horror that he thankfully wouldn't remember in the years to come.

..

..

..

"One boy so far and it looks like one more to come. Keep pushing Dis! Just one more and you can rest girl"

The young dwarven girl, Dis, heaved and pushed and pondered whether it was a blessing or a curse to birth two babes at once. The first was born were perfect, Kili she thought, named like his older brother. Fili would like that. The other though, the one yet to be born, if it was a girl she would name her Grid and for a boy.. perhaps Vili to match the others? A contraction took her and at her mothers coaxing she pushed and the child was born.

She sat herself upright to look and she knew right away something was wrong. This child didn't look right... it didn't look anything like Fili and Kili, it was certainly a boy though.

"Mother?" she questioned, not needing to voice her concern... surely they could all see that this babe wasn't right.

The birthing chamber was quiet for just a moment before Kili was brought to lay next to his brother.

"The second child is longer... not just taller but the fingers and toes too.. they're narrower and longer... the hair too.. it's silkier than Kili's, finer and softer and these ears... they point just a little." She muttered as she ran comparative hands between the two newborns.

"It's more than that Dis..." Her mother said, a note of panic in her voice. "I think.. I mean look at it.. it's beautiful... it's not a dwarf. Dis what have you done?"

She stilled... was he not a dwarf? Surely he must be.. this was her son, her son and her husbands son.. she had lain with no other. No.. he was a dwarf. Just.. shinier, like a precious gem next to coal, one simply shone more, but they were both stone.

"No. Sindri is a dwarf, just as Kili and Fili are. There will be no disputing it, my child could be nothing else." She said as firmly as she could, trying to damp down her own doubts.

"Dis.. child.. of course.. it can't be anything else, just an old woman's fears. I am silly in my dotage aren't I? How could you birth an elf-child?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 03 - Khuzdul**

..

Sindri sighed loudly, leaned back onto the stone floor and pondered the similarities between this moment and the moment he had been stolen years ago. If he laid here long enough would that sanctimonious kidnapping cow take him back to Hogwarts? He distinctly recalled promises of some wonderful family in dire need of a child, Dis had two other monstrous children though. His older brothers Fili and Kili reminded him of the Weasley twins, troublemakers both of them. His mother he didn't like to think about, Dis had some horrible inherited disfigurement... a full beard, almost as intimidating as Dumbledore's. He shuddered in disgust, no woman should look like that. His father was nowhere to be found, possibly deceased, and Sindri occasionally wondered what kind of selfless and charitable person he must have been to marry Dis.

His uncle, Thorin, was by far the most interesting person he had discovered so far. Thorin had an extreme dislike for Sindri's ears, to the point that he'd cut some of his own hair to braid into Sindri's in elaborate designs that completely covered the pointed tips. He referred to them as _'elfish_' which was a word Sindri hadn't learned yet but already understood to be undesirable. He also favored such phrases as "_Mahal knows how you had one that looks like this"._ The general consensus seemed to be that he wasn't sturdy enough and perhaps a little too pretty... which Sindri could agree with, his one and only encounter with a mirror had left him with a very Fleur-esque feeling about his new appearance. He hadn't looked again since and that had been over a year ago, he dreaded the possibility that he might look even more girlish.

The sound of thumping feet in the forge had him turning to look out from behind Thorin's bench. He sighed in relief, it was just Kili.

"Kili?" He asked, staring at the familiar face of his twin. Fili was a blonde through and through but he and Kili had dark hair and dark eyes, and with a little help Kili was learning enough English to get by. Speaking khuzdul was slow moving, but he already knew English and Kili was picking it up fast, Dis had brushed off their nonsensical chatter as 'twinspeak'.

"Sin.. play?" Kili asked holding up two little wooden swords he had probably gotten off Bifur. The shopkeepers in Belegost had a definite soft spot for young dwarves and dwarven princes in exile especially and Kili wasn't afraid to try his luck at getting treats or toys.

"Yes." He replied, pronouncing the word slowly so Kili could hear him. How fast were four year old dwarves were supposed to learn to speak? Kili was a bit slow he thought, but then again Sindri was making him learn two languages at once... didn't being bilingual help you learn a third language later? Well... no matter what way you looked at it this was killing some time until he found a way back home.

Kili grinned and pushed a wooden sword at him before dragging him the back alley where Fili was waiting with a sword of his own and three shields.

"Sin play!" he said encouragingly has he held up his sword and charged in Fili's direction. Sin looked at his own wooden blade, it was the lighter of the two and in better condition, Kili always put others before himself.

He raised the sword high and prepared to follow Kili when he was stopped from behind. The calloused hands of his uncle had reached out to adjust his grip, carefully replacing his fingers and moving the sword down significantly lower while pulling the shield up from its place dangling at his side to cover his front. _"Like this Sin, don't leave yourself open and keep a good grip on your blade or you'll drop it. Do you understand?"_

Sindri didn't understand. He'd been trying... sort of... it was easier really to just chatter in English with Kili.

Thorin sighed and began pointing and speaking_, "This is the blade, this is the hilt, this is your shield and when you hold your hand like this, it's 'grip'. Okay? No? Well.. ask your mother later."_

Sin felt certain that unless Thorin had suggested he use the sword to help his mother shave he wasn't sure at all what was being said, but dutifully repeated some of the words anyway, _"This is, This is, This is understand?"_

Thorin sighed again._ "I understand just fine. It's you who doesn't."_

Sindri nodded and smiled. He wasn't in any great rush anyway... he had plans to get out of here. In the meantime, a little swordplay never hurt anyone, he held his grip just as Thorin had adjusted it and lunged into the fray. Kili and Fili were strong, but he was fast... still built like a seeker. He could feel Thorin's eyes on the three of them and knew the big man wouldn't be going anywhere, his new family prized their children no matter how unique they were.

..

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_AN: So I can't believe how many people liked this. If you enjoy a reasonable Harry can I suggest reading SpaceCavy's 'The Best Worst Fan Fiction Ever Written'. Otherwise, feel free to review with your comments, suggestions, criticism and ideas. I welcome all.  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 04 - As Tall as a Dwarf

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Sindri stared long and hard at the marks on the wall. Dis had measured them, all three one after another, to record their growth. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the charcoal smudges, why was his on the bottom? Was it really fair that Fili and Kili were stockier and stronger, they had to be taller too? Could Mahal not have given him an inch more at least to throw about?

He ignored Dis' worried looks and the way that Fili and Kili skirted around him and he stormed out the door onto the street. He wrapped his scarf tightly about him as the cold mountain air bit at his face, not that the temperature had much to do with it, he liked to keep his daintier features as much undercover as possible. He'd begged and pleaded with Dis for the red and gold monstrosity that he wore with a very Gryffindor feeling. It was cold in Belegost, but the temperature didn't bother him as much as he thought it should, another not quite right thing about this new body.

He slowed down as he drew close to Thorin's forge, he was mad but he wasn't an idiot. Dis would be livid if wandered off on his own, but cooling his temper at the forge would be acceptable. He leaned around the open entranceway slowly, hoping to get a feel for Thorin's mood before he went in, there had to be a reason that Fili and Kili weren't already down here playing.

Thorin was hammering at something with a rather fierce expression and more force than he probably needed to be applying. Something was bothering him then... occasions like these it was best to leave one's king in peace, on the other hand though Sin wasn't feeling particularly great himself and misery did love company.

"_Uncle?_" He called, announcing his presence as he edged over.

Thorin lowered his hammer and stood staring at him with a sort of intense and curious gaze that Sin felt was reserved just for him. When he found whatever he was looking for he nodded his head, and gestured him over. "_Just between us_?"

"_On my honor_." he replied, damping down a grin. If Thorin wanted it to be a secret, it had to be fun.

He pulled a step stool out from a hiding spot in one of the corners and set it in front of the forge, where glowing hot and bright was the beginnings of a sword. Thorin handed him the hammer and carefully directed each blow, until his arms were too tired for more and he stepped back, thoroughly exhausted but not quite so angry.. more like exhilarated. He turned to face Thorin whose grave expression had shifted just a little to what might be a sort of contentment.

"_Now, what brings you here, if I may ask?_" He questioned with a commanding air. It was moments like this when it was easy to see that Thorin wasn't just a blacksmith, he was a king-in-exile.

He didn't bother hesitating, there was no avoiding or lying when it came to Thorin. _"I'm too short. Kili's a whole hand taller. He's already stronger than me... and... it's not really just not fair_." He complained, waving his hand as if to emphasize that Kili was in fact an _entire hand_ taller.

Thorin threw back his head and laughed. A long deep reverberating laugh that shook his whole body. "_Is that all? You're as tall as a dwarf and no taller, I think it's your most dwarfish feature!"_

Sin hand's fisted as his initial anger began to return. _"I'm fourteen! I should be bigger!"_

_"Compared to who?_" Thorin asked, gesturing out across the courtyard where a few dwarves of no great height could be seen going about their work. "_You're a fine size. If Fili and Kili are taller, than so be it.. you are only fourteen, there are many years left for you to grow."_

Sin nodded in defeat. Dwarves he had discovered weren't particularly rushed about growing up, when you had more than 200 years to live, the first fifty or so... well that was childhood, and fourteen was practically infancy. It just stung.. he had been taller than Thorin once upon a time.

"_If you want to grow up so fast_... you can practice your Westron. I will tell you a story, and you can see how much you understand." Thorin said, clearing off his workbench and pulling out stools. "The dwarves were the first people, made by Aule who we call Mahal. He made the seven fathers in a secret hall under the mountains..."

Sin forgot all of his frustrations as he leaned forward to listen. He still wasn't going to say he liked this life better than his last one, but there were certainly some improvements and this was one of them. No one had ever told him stories before or sung him songs. But Dis and Thorin and the toymakers... they had more stories for him than he could hold in his head.

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_AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed or commented. I tried to reply to any questions, if I missed you.. sorry! Just ask again okay. :) I appreciated all the ideas and suggestions. Thanks again. - P_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 05 - Some Princes Learn Lessons and Some Make Snowballs

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"Kili!" Sin whispered sharply, trying to catch his brother's attention. He could see Kili's head tilt just slightly in his direction, maybe he'd heard him.. maybe he hadn't. Sin had discovered that though he might be the slighter of the two he had a definite advantage in sight and hearing. His more sensitive nose and tastes he counted as a disadvantage.

"Kili!" he tried again, this time flicking a pebble at his brother's back.

Kili excused himself from the table and Sin scurried out to their snow fortress. It was a masterpiece that had taken the three of them weeks to fully construct, it could withstand any snowball siege.

"Sin..." Kili whined as crawled through the entrance. "It's cold out here."

"Not as cold as it is in there. What's going on with Fili?" Sin asked. Fili had been.. dare he say.. gloomy? His usual cheerful attitude out the window.

"Oh... same as ever, he's taking special prince lessons again and he doesn't really like it." Kili replied.

"They've started again have they? Do you ever think it's strange? If Fili has to learn then why don't we?" Sin questioned curiously. Why wasn't he in there too? The three of them were brothers, if Fili was a prince then weren't Sin and Kili princes too?

Kili tackled him to the ground while he was lost in his thoughts. Burying his face in the cold snow before pulling him upright with a dark look."Don't say that again! Aule will hear you and we'll be stuck inside memorizing precedent judgements made by old kings!"

"I just wanted to know why...I mean aren't we princes too?" He asked cautiously, this time in English. If Aule really was listening then he didn't want Kili to blame him for getting them sentenced to Dis and Thorin's special lessons.

"Yes... but Fili will be king after Thorin, not us." Kili replied thoughtfully, his English had improved in leaps and bounds. Sin considered it almost two decades of effort well spent, they often employed the use of their secret language to taunt Thorin and occasionally Fili who was fiercely jealous of any secret he wasn't a part of.

He paused for a moment to think, a recently developed habit, certainly not one Harry had ever put into practice. It did make sense, but at the same time it didn't.. if something were to happen to Fili... Kili should know how to be king.

"You're not jealous are you?" Kili teased as he watched Sin think.

"No... I don't think so. I don't particularly want to be a king." Sin said firmly. He didn't want to be either, for more reasons than he could count. "Do you want to be king?"

"Not a bit!" Kili laughed. "Fili can listen to Thorin's lessons and you and I will be master archers hunting orcs!"

"You a master archer? You couldn't hit me with a snowball from a foot away!" Sin said, leaping to his feet ready to defend himself from any attack the insult might provoke.

"What?! You can barely draw the bowstrings! With skinny arms likes yours you'll never be any good!" Kili replied as he reached for a stack of nearby snowballs.

"Then it's a challenge! The first one to hit Fili is the better archer." Sin said as he snatched up the better looking snowballs and carefully piled them in the crook of his arm.

"Fili's having lessons with mother and Uncle Thorin." Kili replied, eyes just a little wider and his voice a little shriller.

"Are you chicken?!" Sin taunted, this was he imagined what it must have been like for Ron and his brothers when they were growing up.

"I'm not!" Kili shouted, grabbing a few snowballs and taking off in the direction of the house.

Sin chased after him careful to remain just a few steps behind, if Kili got caught early he didn't want to get in trouble as well. He let Kili take the back entrance for what looked like it was going to be a hit and run while he snuck over to the front window for sniping. He laid his snowballs down and as quickly and quietly as possible jimmied the window open just a bit wider.

He lined up the first shot carefully. Fili was sitting across from Thorin reciting what really did sound like judgement precedents, possibly about transferring ownership of mine shafts. Dis was nowhere to be seen but at any moment she could make an appearance, most likely from the kitchen, he repositioned himself so as not to be seen from kitchen doorway.

He raised his arm to throw as Kili barrelled in... it was going to be a hit and run then. Kili's first shot went wide and landed hissing into the open fireplace, the second splashed into a steaming mug that Fili was holding and the third...the third hit home dead center on Thorin's livid face. Sin quickly took and aim and hurled three one after another into the back of Fili's head before taking off in the opposite direction he had seen Kili run in. They'd meet back up at the tree house behind the toy shop and wait out Thorin's wrath.

A grin took over his face and laughter consumed him as he ran.. Kili really was a terrible shot.

..

_AN: If your like what the heck who is this girl?! Sorry.. I made this account like two years ago and I just needed to consolidate the names with my more recent things. So.. yes.. same author different name. On another note.. someone brought up the topic of future love interests for Sindri, I was totally caught off guard because I hadn't thought about it at all. What's the general consensus on that from you guys? Any opinions? - Aura-leek  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 06 - Magic**

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Sin leaned back against the warmed stone walls of Thorin's forge, twirling his latest creation between his fingers and thought about where he was going wrong. It had been thirty years since he'd rebirthed in Belegrost and very little had changed. He was still a child in this foreign culture, he still took lessons and lived in his mothers home. The only thing new was his apprenticeship at the forge and a good foot of growth, he'd surpassed a worried Thorin by half an inch which was still at least a foot or more shorter than he'd been before he died or been stolen... or whatever had really happened.

Smithing was different, already he had a few burn scars littering his arms and more muscle than he'd ever had as a seeker. He'd intended on taking up carpentry, wood just felt more _right _to work with, but Thorin's disapproval had frightened off any potential masters. Instead it was a hobby for his free time, carving one magic wand after another and none of them good for anything. He couldn't channel a lick of magic, not with his pretty wooden sticks and not without them. At times he thought he'd kill for a text on magical theory because he was sure he could feel something magical inside him that he just couldn't grasp.

His lack of progress was as frustrating as it was relieving. On one hand every moment spent here was more time away from home, from Ron and Hermione and all the little red headed kids they were bound to have by now and from Ginny who had surely moved on after thirty years. On the other hand he liked some things about this place, if he left he'd miss pranking Fili, listening to Thorin's stories and everything about Kili. That she demon had really known what she was doing, she hadn't left any trail at all to follow and abandoned him on a desolate mountain as a helpless infant with a family he couldn't help but become attached to.

The wizarding world seemed incredibly distant and yet so close. It had been half a lifetime since those memories but some of them would never fade; the feeling of flying, the strange magical sensation that accompanied the casting of a spell, the taste of lemon drops and he'd never forget the flash of green light from the killing curse. If he focused on those ones more would come to him. He tried to remember all the names of the spells he couldn't cast_, _some of them he'd regrettably forgotten.

He held the psuedo wand poised in the air and then swished and flicked. "W_ingardium levi-oh-sa", _he said imitating Hermione's careful pronunciation and snotty eleven year old voice. Nothing happened of course, nothing except a slight feeling of regret, if he missed nothing else he missed magic.

He stilled for a moment to stare at the ornately carved wooden stick, he couldn't call it a wand no matter how much he'd like too... it just wasn't. It was his best work yet, eleven inches and made from a rather bendy Holly that he'd had a tough time acquiring, but it was devoid of magic. He'd investigated sources for wand cores, he'd searched high and low for anything magical but there were no unicorns or phoenixes here. The closest he'd gotten were stories of the great foes, Smaug the dragon in Erebor and Durin's bane in the depths of Moria, and both of them had destroyed great dwarven cities and slaughtered thousands. With his carved stick and little bow and arrow he wasn't much of a match for anyone.

He sighed before tossing the stick into the fireplace and pulling himself upright, there was no time for self-pity. He brushed the dust off his tunic and adjusted his hair and scarves to cover his face, it was till far too pretty and he had begun to suspect there was more to hide than anyone was suggesting, before setting up his next project. A young blacksmith like himself didn't make swords or armor, a young blacksmith made nails and arrowheads, today would be arrowheads. It was a monotonous task but he consoled himself with the thought that soon Kili would either arrive to help or Thorin would find him missing and either way it was sure to be amusing.

..

_AN: And this is for everyone who is anxiously awaiting Harry's magic, I will revisit the topic later but he's not going to be OP with magic spells. On another note... Sin is 30! Only like another 40 or so years before the quest for Erebor and like over a hundred before LotR begins. - Aura-leek  
_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 07- King in Exile**

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The concept of Thorin as king wasn't a new one, but it had taken years for Sin to fully understand what it meant to be King in Exile and how Thorin loathed it. Life in Belegost had seemed idyllic, but to Thorin it was a harsh reminder of duty and obligations he couldn't fulfill.

With his nephews well into their 30's he must have felt they could fend for themselves, because in the dark of the night he disappeared. It wasn't without warning, more and more often he'd been lost in thoughts of other times and places and Dis had known what it meant. She'd done her best to prepare them, but finding the short note on the table has still been a shock. He'd left again to travel and work but would be back, there was no estimation of time or set destination.

Sindri hadn't realized how much he'd come to care for this new life, how settled and complacent he'd been it until it was so completely upheaved. Fili was more serious than ever, his role as heir weighing on him in the king's absence and Kili tried twice as hard to lighten the atmosphere in their home. More often than not Kili disappeared into wilderness to escape the tension and Fili fled to the forge or the training posts leaving Sin alone with his thoughts.

He hadn't shown the others but there had been a second letter, it was longer and full of scratched out words and ink blotches. It answered more questions than he knew he had but brought up hundreds more. He held the letter up to the lamp light and traced over the words again.

_For years I have looked for a way to explain your existence, but there isn't one._

_I know that I am late in telling you this, that these are words you should have heard many years ago, but it would break Dis' heart to lose you. She swore us all to silence, your brothers included. I tell you now because already you stand taller than I and by the time I return you will be as tall as any elf, because you are an elf._

_I remember the night you were born. Fili and I sat in the hallway where your father should have been and awaited your arrival. I watched that door all night, no one passed through without my consent and yet somehow... somehow you came to be in there._

_Your mother and grandmother swear that you were born in that room and though I don't doubt their words I struggle to believe it. You are not a dwarf, yet four women of good repute claim to have seen Dis birth you. As surely as the Mahal lives you are an elf, I have grasped at hope for years that there might be another truth, but there is none. How an elf came to born to a dwarf is beyond my knowledge._

_I have wondered many times if this is not something you already know... if you are more than you seem. I could tell from the first moment I held you that you knew more than you were letting on, only days old and you screamed your outrage at the world for hours on end. As a young child you were so determined, so focused.. so indignant.. you refused to speak to us, instead you chattered at Kili until you had him talking back to you in your own tongue, a language I have in never in all my travels heard before. _

_You have always seemed to me to be a dwarf in spirit if not in body._

_Mahal gave you to us and you are always welcome in the halls of dwarves but if you so choose I cannot stop you from seeking out the elves. You well know the Grey Havens lie to the west over the mountain and to the east lies Rivendell. Beyond that they have also settled in the forests of Mirkwood and Lorien. Tread with caution and bring no dishonor to your line._

_Your King and Uncle,_

_Thorin Oakenshield._

Sin sighed deeply. It wasn't exactly brimming with any paternal affection, but he didn't expect that from the stoic king anyway. It was bothersome though, and it made him think of those brief moments so many years ago. What had the thief said.. _'the elves are gentle'_ and something about _'Erestor_'.

Would every life be so complicated for him?

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_AN: Thanks so much to everyone who left reviews. I tried to respond to all of them.. if I missed you just ask again. :)_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 08 - Brother's Stick Together**

**..**

Sindri watched as Kili read the letter, most likely more than once as it was taking him awhile. He would glance between Sin and the letter with an unreadable expression, sometimes making quiet noises that didn't betray his feelings either way but seemed to express some interest.

Sin leaned back against the wall and tapped his fingers anxiously against the warm cobblestone floor. Belegost was generally cold but you could always count on the forge to be warm, and despite his absence Thorin's forge was still a refuge for his nephews. "Well?" He finally asked, a nervous feeling filling him up till his patience was spent.

"Well what?" Fili questioned with a bored look. "You're an elf. It's a bit late to be asking the Maker for the privilege of dwarfdom."

"Dwarfdom? Is that even a word Fili?" Kili teased as he tossed the letter back at Sin.

"It is now. I, Crown Prince Fili of Erebor, hereby declare 'dwarfdom' to be a word." Fili announced regally, one hand poised above his heart and his face the picture of rapturous princehood.

"You know I'm your heir right?" Kili asked with a sneaky grin. "I'll just overturn your decrees when I take the throne."

"All the more reason for me to settle down with a nice lass. The thought of you on the throne..." Fili shook his head in mock dismay.

Sin laughed at their antics, he shouldn't have expected anything less. Fili and Kili had never had the same prejudice that Thorin had towards the elves. His complete and utter hatred towards Thranduil and the Mirkwood elves seemed to know no bounds. Sin understood his reasoning even if he couldn't completely agree with it, it seemed like the elves hadn't done anything wrong even if they hadn't done anything right... they just hadn't done anything at all.

"What should I do then?" He asked hesitantly, not sure what answer he was hoping for.

"What should you do about what?" Kili asked, his brow furrowed a bit in confusion as if he genuinely couldn't see Sin's dilemma.

"The elves!" Fili replied thumping Kili soundly across the head.

"You shouldn't do that." Sin said with a grin. "He hasn't got enough brains that he can afford to lose any."

"I resent all of this." Kili said with a glower. "And.. I don't understand why you need to do anything with the elves. You're a dwarf, we don't like elves."

Fili's arm swung reflexively once again colliding with Kili's thick skull. "You can do what you please. The passes are thawed and it's not a long journey if you want to cross the mountain, you can take Kili with you."

"Take me where?" Kili asked, his hands raised to guard his head from attack.

In acceptance of the unspoken challenge Fili instead threw his elbow back and into Kili's stomach, knocking the air out of him. "I think the conversation is about to get a little more intelligent" Fili said as Kili gasped for air.

"What would I do if I went?" Sin asked, he'd thought about going to look... but what could he possibly do when he got there? More importantly what would he say... "Hi! I'm an elf, but my mother is a dwarf and secretly I'm a wizard inside!" Yes... yes.. that would be the perfect thing to say.

"Look?" Fili offered. "I've never been myself... but if nothing else you could appreciate the craftsmanship of the passes. They were made by dwarves. The elves I admit will probably be a disappointment, but appreciation of dwarfish architecture is just a step on the path to dwarfdom."

"I thought it was too late for me to achieve dwarfdom?" Sin questioned lazily. He wasn't overly worried if he couldn't be a dwarf anyway, he was technically sort of a man and as long as Fili and Kili were alright with his elfishness it wasn't a big issue. He was really just Harry or Sindri or whatever they were calling him, he was himself... more or less the same as he always had been.

"To be honest... it is, and I imagine you are already the most dwarfish elf in existence. I'm not sure that it will do you much good, but nothing dwarfish could hurt your cause." Fili replied with a grin.

"I might not be the most dwarfish elf, I might be the elfish dwarf." Sin countered.

"I can't decide which is a worse fate... if you were an elfish dwarf I suppose you could recover?" Fili said thoughtfully, his brow slightly furrowed. "It doesn't matter though... whats important is whether or not you are off adventuring."

"What about heading the other way? Thorin went towards Bree right?" Sin asked, a bit surprised at how seriously Fili was considering the idea of him leaving. He was barely taking it seriously himself, he'd become sort of complacent in this make believe life filled with snowy mountains and warm fireplaces. If he had a pair of ski's this whole life would be like one the vacations Petunia was always planning but never taking.

"A map Kili!" Fili commanded waving a hand in his direction while he cleared a spot on one of the workstations. They rolled out a large but poorly drawn map of Middle Earth across the table. The map itself looked like a copy of a much nicer one Dis had, this was perhaps one of Fili's penmanship projects.

"If you take the East Road.. it will lead you straight to Rivendell, thats the big elf house.. or you could go past Rivendell and over the Misty Mountains, that will take you to Mirkwood." Fili paused for just a second. "I don't think you should though, uncle might forgive the unfortunate circumstance of your race... but he would not forgive an association with Mirkwood."

"I have to agree... if I'm going with you then we're not going to Mirkwood." Kili interjected, having finally caught his breath and gathered his wits. "Uncle wouldn't be able to.. I mean.. I just think that's not the right route to take."

"So it's the Grey Havens or Rivendell if we want to stalk some elves?" Sin thought aloud... neither option sounded any better than the other. "What else is there to see? Any place you want to go Kili?"

Kili leaned over the map consideringly, tracing the different paths with a careful consideration that most people didn't expect from the young jokester. "I'd like to stick to the mountains... we could take the pass over Moria.. I've never even seen the doors, I'd like too."

"Alright then.." Sin said leaning over the map too. "So.. it looks like Lorien is the elf stalking destination of choice. We can take the pass over the mountain and and skirt around the forest and then follow the Anduin down the Minas Tirith."

"Minas Tirith?" Fili asked curiously.

"If we're going all that way we might as well do some sightseeing." Sin answered with a shrug.

"Sightseeing?" Kili interjected.

"Mmmm... you know... looking at things. Monuments, landmarks that sort of stuff." Sin responded, still focussed on the map. "The Argonath are on the way from Lorien to Minas Tirith if we plan our route right."

"If the two of you want to go... I'll cover things here." Fili said with a long deep sigh. Someone did have to stay here, to be prince when there wasn't a king, Fili always took the responsibility.

"Are you sure? We could all go... see everything together." Kili said hesitantly, he always hated leaving Fili out of anything. Sin sometimes thought if he hadn't been born then Fili and Kili would've been as close as twins.

"I'm certain. I will remain here." Fili said firmly, rolling up the map. "We should prepare for your journey though, there is much that needs to be done.

..

_AN: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. My finals are this week and I expect to have more time for writing in the near future. Please be patient with me. - Aura-Leek  
_


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